Cook it! Comfort food

Andrew Kay takes a look at an old favourite and finds comfort and joy

There was something faintly nostalgic about stepping into Browns for dinner. One of Brighton’s most enduring restaurants, it has held on to its visual identity with a great deal of grace and charm. Few can manage that, but somehow Browns does it, and does it with style. In a similar vein it also hangs on to its staff, and there were some delightfully familiar faces around that added to that comforting feeling.

Nostalgia aside, Browns has moved on over the years in terms of its culinary offering, and it was rather nice to go in and refamiliarise myself with what they do. I was joined by my colleague, the lovely Ms S (that’s Ms S, not Missus), a ‘fish-eating vegetarian’ I was to discover, and I have to say that she was handsomely provided for with a menu that included some very tempting dishes. She started with roasted goats’ cheese atop a layer of golden beetroot, with a crust of walnuts. It looked delicious and she certainly polished it off.

I chose the crab and avocado stack. This too looked very good, and I dived in with gusto. The crab part was great; nice clean flavours, not over-dressed. If I had once complaint it would be that the stack itself had a little too much raw onion which was slightly overpowering. A small niggle, but one that could be so easily remedied with less onion and perhaps a little more of the excellent, creamily ripe avocado.

Ms S was quick to choose the roasted fillet of cod with brown shrimp butter, spinach and sauteed potatoes. It was an extremely generous portion of fish, too, in a world where too many chefs think that a main course portion of something from the sea should be the size of a fish finger. I looked on with envy – until my lamb dish arrived. I had been very tempted by the plat du jour which on a Monday was braised pigs’ cheeks, but in the end I was swayed to the lamb by the offer of bubble and squeak.

I did not grow up with bubble and squeak, it was in my family’s repertoire, but since moving south I have grown to love it. This was damned fine bubble too, packed with cabbage and toasty bits where the potatoes had been singed in a hot pan. The spinach was good too, as were the honey roast carrots, and the sauce was dark and sticky. The lamb itself, a huge hunk of meat, simply fell off the bone and melted in the mouth. It was a very satisfying wintery dish; perfect, as that day the weather had turned to rain. Again, comforting.

Browns’ version of Eton mess was a very good improvement on a dish that can be overly sweet

Ms S was torn by the dessert menu, and so was I. There were lots of temptations but my hearty main had left me feeling pretty sated. But, a job is a job, so I encouraged her to have some cheese and I finally chose Browns’ version of Eton mess myself, which I have to declare was a very good improvement on a dish that can be overly sweet. The combination of sour cherries with cream and meringue worked well, and the addition of hazenuts was inspired as it added great texture.

To drink, we had a bottle of a good Spanish house red, again going for that comforting option that in a way sums up this old favourite.

Browns started back in 1973 when I was a mere strip of a lad, and over the years I have been back again and again. At times I drifted away; probably more to do with what I was doing than what Browns was doing, but strangely the attraction is still there. They offer good value and the service is impeccable. Okay, you can find trendier places to dine, and cheaper too – but not much. You will, however, be hard pressed to find somwhere so unpretentious, so warm and welcoming, and somewhere so satisfying. Browns deliver old school dishes in portions that will satisfy the heartiest of trenchermen.

Browns Brighton, 3-4 Duke Street, Brighton,
BN1 1AH, 01273 323501
www.browns-restaurants.co.uk

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